A glass component 'made from supernovae', reveals a Cardiff study

We drink it, we look at it, we put flowers in it. We even wear it on our face – glass is one of the most important materials we use.

And thanks to the research of a Cardiff scientist, we now know that the main component of glass, silica, is formed in the heart of stars in full explosion.

Co-authored by Professor Haley Gomez of Cardiff University, the study revealed remains of silica in distant dying stars.

It has been published in the monthly records of the Royal Astronomical Society.

• UFOs spotted off the Irish coast under investigation
• In pictures: astronomy photographer of the year 2018

Professor Gomez was part of an international team of scientists using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope to study two billion-light-age supernovae on Earth.

A supernova occurs when a massive star runs out of fuel, causing it to collapse on itself and ending its life with an intense explosion.

The team was able to identify the silica grains in the supernovae assuming they had the shape of a rugby ball rather than the common belief that they were completely spherical.

"We have shown for the first time that the silica produced by the supernovae is large enough to contribute to dust all over the world, including the dust that has finally come together to form our planet," he said. said Professor Gomez.

"Whenever we look through a window, walk on the sidewalk or set foot on a sandy beach, we interact with materials made from exploded stars that have burned millions of years ago. ; years. "

A large amount of silica dust had already been observed in the universe, but so far scientists were not able to determine exactly where it was forming.

In total, silica constitutes about 60% of the Earth's crust.